


lightning

by doctormissy



Series: 9 Days Christmas Writing Challenge [29]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: 9 Days Christmas Writing Challenge, Bisexual Barry Allen, Christmas, Christmas Presents, Crimes & Criminals, Crushes, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Season/Series 01, Theft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 05:47:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17156369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doctormissy/pseuds/doctormissy
Summary: ‘Barry, there’s a robbery alert on Fourth,’ Cisco said in his ear, and Barry thought,who goes out to rob a bank on Christmas Day?Leonard Snart, that’s who. And he’s got a present for the Flash.





	lightning

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pettigrace](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pettigrace/gifts).



> yes, this a surprise christmas present for you! i love your fics, and all the comments on mine, and bi ace barry, and trans cisco, and just, i had to. i hope you like it <3

 

‘Barry, there’s a robbery alert on Fourth,’ Cisco said in his ear, and Barry thought, _who goes out to rob a bank on Christmas Day_?

‘On my way,’ he said into the phone. His thumb ended the call, and the phone went straight into his pocket. He hovered in the kitchen door. ‘Joe, I’m sorry, I gotta go,’ he said, and two pairs of eyes were staring at him, puzzled. ‘It’s a, uh, a work thing, you know?’ he added.

Then Joe said, ‘Of course, Bar.’ Iris told him to be back for dinner. He waved goodbye to Eddie sneakily eating biscuits on the sofa, and ran to S.T.A.R. Labs to retrieve his suit.

Two seconds, and he ran again, cold wind whipping his masked face, streaks of light everywhere. He came to a halt at the edge of the park. All the trees sported fairy lights that shone even bright in daylight and brought the holidays to all the people that passed under them and stopped to take a picture. He was more concerned about the robbery.

He looked around. It wasn’t the bank. Alarms screamed in the jewellery shop, which now had a gaping hole in its glass door. Strangely enough, he didn’t see the thieves. ‘Cisco?’ he asked, brow furrowed.

He heard typing first, then his voice. ‘That jewellery store was robbed two minutes ago, they gotta be there somewhere. Three guesses on who it was.’

Before he could run in about out of the shop, something hard touched the Flash’s back and stopped him from even moving. Cold. Metal. A gun. He didn’t need three guesses.

‘Snart,’ he scoffed. Who else, really. Was Rory here too? There was only one gun and no biting remarks, so he didn’t think so. ‘Why are you doing this? Honestly, I was having a good time with my family, and then you come and ruin it.’

‘Why buy presents when you can steal them, is what I say,’ Snart said, in that captivating accent of his that sent vibrations through the air.

Barry used his speed to turn round and face the gun and the man holding it. He was wearing his usual parka, but the hood was pulled down this time, revealing his goggles. The pockets were obviously stuffed with loot.

‘So you’re stealing last-minute presents for your sister, is that it?’ he asked. ‘Well, sorry, but I gotta bring you in. Holidays or no holidays, it’s the rules.’ His hands moved to remove the cold gun.

Snart charged and held it in place, finger on the trigger. ‘I thought you’d’ve learnt a lesson by now, Flash,’ he said with a smirk.

Barry could escape the ice if he ran. He knew it. Snart knew it. He didn’t move, though. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, warming him up in the December cold. It was because of the gun, he told himself.

‘Barry, what are you doing, just grab him!’ Cisco yelled in his ear. Then Caitlin said, ‘Yeah, Barry, he’s so close, why are you hesitating?’

He ignored them.

Snart shook his head. ‘I ain’t going to jail anytime soon.’

‘Oh really, well, guess what—’

Snart, still holding his gun against Barry, fished something out of his parka and threw it in Barry’s direction. He caught the box, moving automatically. Stared at it. It was a jewellery box, like one of those you put a ring in.

Hang on, wait a minute. What?

The next second, the gun wasn’t touching him anymore. He looked at Snart and raised an eyebrow, and then realised he couldn’t see it under the mask. ‘What are you doing?’ he asked. ‘That’s clearly stolen, it won’t make me not put you in jail.’

He speedily took a pair of cuffs out of his suit and took a step forward.

Snart tutted. ‘Oh, Flash, I can’t believe you’re such an idiot.’ He didn’t need superspeed to grab the cuffs and hold them in front of Barry’s face. He swung them lightly. ‘You keep that and I’ll just take these, call it a fair trade.’

He pocketed the cuffs.

Barry was becoming more and more bemused and frustrated with every passing moment, but he still couldn’t bring his muscles to do the one thing he was sent here to do. ‘Snart…’

A hand touched his chin; the red cloth of his suit. Weird. Nice. More confusing, dammit. Snart leant in, and then his lips touched Barry’s. One second, two seconds. He pulled away. ‘Merry Christmas, Flash,’ he said.

Barry stood there frozen, pun intended, and watched him walk away with his gun on his shoulder.

It took him what felt like an hour to remember who, where, why. His glance fell at the box, clutched in his left hand. Back at Snart, making his way out of the park like it belonged to him. Back at the box. Did he just…?

Cisco yelled, ‘What the hell, man?’

 _Right, there were probably cameras_ , he realised. Then he started to panic, because that meant Cisco and Caitlin and probably even Wells _saw it_. Oh boy. Oh no. That was bad. _What do I do?_

It was just a short kiss. No big deal. He wasn’t in love or anything. With a thief. Whom he let go. Who gave him a stolen present in a stolen jewellery box.

Right. The box. He hesitated before opening it. _What if it’s a trap?_ It probably was a trap. He shouldn’t open it, not until he gets to S.T.A.R. Labs and has Caitlin X-Ray it for the sake of everyone’s safety, anyway.

He looked at Snart again, but the man was gone now, vanished. It was just Barry and random passers-by with smoking cups of hot Christmas drinks.

He opened the box.

There was a tiny pendant on a silver chain, in the shape of a lightning bolt. It actually made Barry smile, before he remembered, once again, that it was stolen. Then he noticed there was a piece of paper under it. He removed the chain and unfolded the message.

 _Merry Christmas, Barry Allen_ , it read in Snart’s scrawl, and he was definitely having a heart attack now, because he has definitely not revealed his secret identity to _anyone_ , let alone _Snart_.

He ran and chased after him, or where he might have gone, but he couldn’t find him anywhere, so in the end, he ran back home, plopped down on his bed, and sighed into his hands. This was bad. This was epically bad. Cisco won’t let him hear the end of it.

He opened the box again, and stared at the pendant. He took it in his hand. It was cold—and yes, he got the irony. He should throw it away, or return it, or give it to the CCPD, something, anything but put it round his neck.

As he ran down the stairs in normal speed to rejoin his family in dinner preparations, he put on his usual excited face, stuffed a gingerbread man in his mouth, and gave evasive answers to all questions asked.

The lightning bolt was hidden under his Christmas jumper. It wasn’t cold anymore.


End file.
